Catherine, Called Birdy

Catherine, Called Birdy. by Karen Cushman. (1994). 212p. New York: HarperCollins.

Awards and Honors: Newbery Honor

Review: 

Catherine is a typical rebellious teenager: coarse, headstrong, sassy and a bit self-indulgent, too. She's also the only daughter of a noble family down on its luck, a role that requires she be married off to a husband who can raise her family's status. Of course, Catherine wants no part of this. She chafes under her domestic duties and social obligations and she finds a way to chase off her suitors one by one, until her father will have no more of her games. When Catherine realizes that fighting doesn't always help her get what she wants, she begins to change her ways and her outlook on life. Cushman writes Catherine's story using a diary format, and doesn't spare readers the nastier details of Medieval life. 

 

Opinion:

I don't love this book. Catherine's character quickly grated on my nerves, the book drags at times and the conclusion seemed hasty to me. I also thought that the potty humor was way overdone. Farts, privies and urine can be funny a few times, and granted Catherine *is* a tomboy, but Cushman's fascination with these things borders on obsession. I will say that I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first, but I was glad when I finally finished the novel.

Ideas:
History teachers could use this book in history lessons to inspire their students to create their own diaries of kids living in the past.